The Water Babies is a 1978 live action-animated family film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring James Mason, Bernard Cribbins, Billie Whitelaw, Joan Greenwood, David Tomlinson, Tommy Pender, and Samantha Gates.

One day, they leave town and go to Harthover Hall, a huge country house set in vast grounds.

When discovered by the housekeeper Grimes blames the crime on Tom who makes a run for it with his dog Toby.

This section includes multiple musical sequences mainly involving Jock the Scottish lobster, Terence the English seahorse and Claude the French swordfish.

The story jumps to a cave in Antarctica where they join forces with Cyril the Walrus, a group of polar bears, and a flock of penguins; and also encounter the sea king Kraken also known to many as Neptune and Poseidon.

[1] Shaw looked into hiring animators in Hollywood, but found them to be too expensive, so made a deal with a Polish company.

"[7] The Sunday Telegraph also felt the animation "does not seem to integrate with the rest of the story" but "once to shore it [the film] comes to life.

"[8] Sight and Sound called it a "charming adaptation... with an excellent cast and surprisingly appealing animation for the underwater scenes, although the water babies themselves are in the well-worn tradition of Disney cuteness.